For a variety of reasons, a trip to the dentist can occasionally be met with some apprehension.

The culprits are ingrained into our culture – the ominous whirring of a dentist’s drill, the shiny steel of sharp instruments. Tooth pain or not, some patients simply cannot get past the anxiety associated with dental work.

One of the best tools to fight these fears is pharmacy compounding. Compounded medications can lessen the physical discomforts involved in a trip to the dentist and help ease the patient’s anxiety.

Compounding is the art and science of preparing customized medications for patients. In recent years, compounding has experienced a renaissance as modern technology and innovative techniques and research have allowed more dentists and other healthcare providers to work with pharmacists to customize medications to meet specific patient needs. Due to its variety of patients, dentistry is an ideal arena for compounded medications. From an eight-year-old getting a cavity filled to an 80-year-old getting fitted for dentures, each patient is unique and may benefit from custom-compounded medication.